After a week of "Bonjour, Madame" every time I enter an establishment, it is hard to turn it 'off' when I hit my local Walmart or grocery store back home You can get some strange looks for that!

SusieC- I am looking for a grant too!
Yogiusd03-- I echo the comments of StCirq, francofile and others. I made a return trip to Paris this April, sans a tour. I found the french very welcoming, but not the gushing USA variety. Genuine when they showed personal interest.

I returned to a few vendors at my local marche to tell them how much I enjoyed my purchases, and they just beamed. People who recognized me greeted me warmly. Don't forget bonjour and au revoir, merci on entering and leaving. I was delighted to hear that I spoke with no American accent, but I believe those old tales about about any attempts at speaking french being snubbed are untrue, certainly, completely contrary to my experience. You can ask first if they speak English, as many speak some.

I do recommend learning key phrases and bringing a pocket phrase book -I met so many wonderful people in restaurants and shops, museum guides, marche vendors, locals.
Go & enjoy! And as said here, you get out what you put in!

Had an incident in Paris on Sunday night. My travelling partner was insistent we try to locate "Chinatown" to eat. After stopping for directions several times, we knew were in the vicinity but just couldn't seem to end up on the right street. Funny that no one who gave us directions knew the name of the street, including 2 gendarmes in that district! Anyway, we ended up in the metro about to catch a train for the station we THOUGHT would put us right. A hunch told me to ask a youngish girl waiting next to us. Well, she didn't know how to explain to us how to get there, so she SHOWED us! Yep, took us there even though she was not going exactly there. This is not the first time this has happened to me in Paris. And the rest of France is even better.

I have just received this e-mail message....Jean-Claude Vrinat-Taillevent...one of the foremost restaurants in Paris...

Chère Madame,


In a few days we shall celebrate the 60th Anniversary of D.Day.


May the friendship between our two countries be for ever as strong as it was in June 1944.


With my best personal regards.


Jean-Claude Vrinat


Does this say something about friendliness??

yogiusd,
You've gotten great tips and comments. Parisians ARE freindly in their own way. But if no one ever smiles at you, don't take it personally. They NEVER smile, especially if they are walking or alone. You might see smiles if they are with someone they are very intimate with.

As to Good Neighborness, from a little tavern in Chagny (Canal du Midi?) where we stopped the barges for Dinner one night, the owner up and OFFERED to drive 3 of us at a time over to Santenay. (Plus the night of our dinner, he, as a sort of host, brought out his special, home-made Marc... ohmygoodness! What stuff that was. Made Grappa seem like ovaltine and milk)
Anyway, the walk was a beautiful 20 or 30 minutes...we walked, he drove over
So? All in all, the French are friendly.

Marc is fabulous, especially marc de Bourgogne. We love it in after-dinner coffee as well as straight.

This is a really, really useful thread with excellent information. I hope people with questions on the topic in the future will be able to find it.

I speak only a little French, but used that when I could, always used basic greetings when entering and leaving, and if more was needed told them I spoke only a little French (in French) before asking if they spoke English.

Before I left several friends asked if I was prepared for the rudeness of the Parisians, poor service, etc. (mind you, these are people who haven't been out of the country, or if they have, it's been many, many years). I told them I thought a lot of what you got depended on what you expected, and what you gave, and really went not expecting any problems.

What did I get . . . not only no problems, but people really willing to help when asked, and sometimes when not. One shop owner, realizing I was from the United States, and would have a long trip home, carefully wrapped my breakable items in bubble wrap. In Amsterdam, walking around one day with a friend from Paris, we ran into an acquaintance (French) of his, and were introduced. The next day while out, I happened to see him again, and on recognizing me, he turned around and came over just to say "bonjour".

But my favorite story was the morning I somehow ended up with a metro ticket that wouldn't let me out of the gate. The second one I pulled out wouldn't either (the tickets must have been having a lot of fun, I found far more in my pockets and bags when I returned home than I bought or was given!). By this time a lady who had just gone through the adjoining gate realized what had happened, started speaking to me in rapid French and handed me her ticket. It was also expired. At that point, she started asking the people around her, until she found a ticket that would give me my freedom. I was really touched by this; offering her ticket was one thing, but to continue until I got out really took her act of kindness up a level.

Skatterfly, I just ate at Bistrot de Paris once but I enjoyed it. It was within a few blocks of my hotel the Verneuil so it's right next to the 6th district.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Ira and Francophile, thanks for the info on Bistrot de Paris. I just looked at it on PagesJaunes and I must have walked past this place a dozen tims since I've always stayed on Quai Voltaire around the corner. But I haven't eaten there... based on the recommendations here maybe we'll check it out in September.

~k

yogiusd03,
Are the people at the IRS, Post Office, state/county motor vehicle renewal, airport check in, social security, medicare, property/casualty/health insurance companies, doctor's and dentist's offices friendly?
Depends on how you relate to them and how they perceive you, as always!
M

I just got back from my second trip to Paris. Both times I have been treated very well. No complaints whatsoever. A few people at the hotel I stayed at both times remembered me they were so warm and so friendly.

To be honest I like their reserved approach. It drives me crazy when I go shopping and the sales people are all over me, and treating me like their long, lost friend. In Paris I was let alone and knew not to ruffle their merchandise. Already thinking about a 3rd trip back there.

I agree with you, Madison. It's funny you mention salespeople at home, they act like your buddy but you know what they're really after is a commission. So all that pretense I can do without because I don't pretend to be someone's friend so it just irritates me. In Paris it's based on plain honesty which I prefer.